Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Greenpeace Indonesia went on the offensive on Friday, saying the recent wave of attacks against the organization began after its aggressive global campaign against a major Indonesian pulp and paper company.
"The concerted attack against Greenpeace started after we launched our global campaign on Asia Pulp and Paper by exposing evidence of APP forest destruction in early June this year," Greenpeace's country representative here, Nur Hidayati, said in an e-mail to the Jakarta Globe.
Lawmakers and religious leaders have publicly questioned the source of the group's funding following reports that Greenpeace Netherlands received 7 million euros ($10 million) from a lottery in that country. Lotteries are considered gambling here and are illegal.
Organizations like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) have also claimed that Greenpeace is an illegal entity because it had not registered with the Jakarta municipal government's list of accredited organizations.
Critics also have accused Greenpeace of targeting APP while ignoring foreign companies that operate in Indonesia.
Greenpeace has largely stayed silent since the attacks began, only answering the accusations point by point. But on Friday, the group indicated it believed there was a concerted effort to discredit it.
"The tactic of discrediting Greenpeace is very similar to the tactics used during the New Order regime to discredit national and local organizations that were critical of government and industries," Nur said.
The statement reiterated that Greenpeace was legally registered with the Justice and Human Rights Ministry. Nur included a copy of the group's financial statement that showed it received more than Rp 10 billion ($1.2 million) in 2010 – about 80 percent of the donations it received last year – from fund-raising activities.
"In Indonesia, the backbone of our funding is from Indonesian people – 30,000 individuals who donate small amounts of money for environmental protection," Nur said.
In an e-mail statement to the Globe, APP denied involvement in a sustained campaign against the environmental organization and said that it had nothing to do with Greenpeace's relationship with the government.
"There is absolutely no truth to this whatsoever," APP said. "We have not in any way tried to influence or encourage, through funding or any other method, the groups currently opposing Greenpeace activities in Indonesia."
The company also said it had no knowledge of whether Greenpeace had followed regulations.